09/27/18- Information Regarding School Participation in eSports

As has been detailed at each of the regional meetings this fall and at the Annual Meeting in September, the Board of Control has authorized staff to enter into a prospective partnership with the NFHS Network to allow our schools to compete in an eSports competition. This competition, which will be managed by a third-party firm (PlayVS), will allow competition between schools throughout two different seasons during the school year. For the most part, and based on school and student available resources, competitors never have to leave the school to participate.

The Commissioner has assigned Communications Director Joe Angolia and IT Director Rob Catron to serve as the day-to-day resources for this trial period. Feel free to contact either of them with your questions and if they cannot answer them, they will work to find an answer.

The KHSAA has tentatively agreed to participate in “Season Zero”, which will begin in late October and serve as the national pilot, along with about four other state associations.

Originally, the commitment from PlayVS was for five different game titles. Obviously, one of the fundamental principles and requirements was for the competition to not involve any type of shooting or human against human violence and minimize, where possible, any other violence while emphasizing strategic thinking.

The company has been thus far unable to enter into a contract with multiple companies, but they are able to debut the program now with a game entitled League of Legends. This game allows for significant team vs. team strategy and is incredibly popular in the gaming world.

A preview trailer of the game is available at https://youtu.be/8fwwGCr1-po. An extremely lengthy video of an entire game, which may give you a better idea about the game, is located at https://youtu.be/FtiydmBpLig. If you have questions about whether or not your students should participate using this game, please review this trailer prior to completion of the survey.

At this point and until further notice, the KHSAA roster system will not be utilized for eSports. PlayVS and their internal structure will handle coaches, rosters, etc. for this project.

Coaches in eSports, at least through season zero, do NOT have to meet the provisions of Bylaw 25.

Participants in eSports, at least through season zero, will NOT count toward participation counts, either for the master participation list or for the annual Title IX reports.

A second season, to start in February, is also on the time schedule for PlayVS.

The following additional information is provided by PlayVS to help explain the program and its requirements:

As you may know, earlier this year the NFHS sanctioned esports in partnership with PlayVS. We are excited to share that KHSAA will be one of the first states to offer esports this October as part of PlayVS’ Season Zero featuring League of Legends — the most played PC game in the world and a key driver behind the growth of esports. Additional game titles will be added in the Inaugural Season this coming February.

ABOUT LEAGUE OF LEGENDSLeague of Legends is a fast-paced, real-time strategy game that requires critical thinking and teamwork. Each player on a team of five has a different role and must support one another to succeed.

SEASON ZERO STRUCTURE

The regular season runs from October 30th – December 11th. Matches will be played weekly on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., for a total of 12 matches throughout the regular season.

Playoffs will take place from January 8th – January 29th. Each state will be divided into four regional conferences and compete in a single-elimination bracket. The conference champions will then advance to the semifinals, with the top two teams competing for the state title, all at a live State Championship event — exact date and location TBA.

No more than 128 teams will make the playoffs.

Competition schedules will be released in October.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Each school is required to have an esports coach who is onsite for all practices and matches.

Each League of Legends team consists of five students. Each school is able to build as many teams of five as they’d like.

Each student needs the following: one computer/laptop and one set of peripherals (mouse, keyboard, headset). Students can use their own, or schools could provide these. Jerseys are optional.

The participation fee for each student is $64/season.

Official competition rules and gameplay settings will be sent at a later date.

QUICK START

With the PlayVS online portal, getting your school started takes less than 20 minutes. You’ll be able to invite an esports coach and students to join. Once the season begins, students just login to PlayVS on campus to play.

Get your school signed up and invite players to start building your League of Legends team today!

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